As It Should Be
by Mewmewmemint
Summary: Post Manga: After the war, the villages entered a healing period. Businesses were starting to thrive once again, wounded hearts were getting stronger. Things were moving forwards, leaving pain to start anew. But what if what you have been grieving over came back. The Village just might turn a muck at the return of the once "dead" hero, Neji Hyuga. Read my beginning note inside.
1. Chapter One

Note: It has been FOREVER since I have posted fanfiction... I have two other stories that I put up a LONG time ago! There is soooo much that need to be fixed in those stories and sadly I probably won't get to them for a while (though I do intend to, at least with Beauty and the IceCube).

Another thing, this story is only going to have the first 2 chapters released as a test. I want to see if I can find some inspiration after posting these chapters to continue, but it might be a LOOOOONNNNNNGGGG time before I post future chapters. I am a college student and so I have the tendency to be busy; I probably will not be posting anymore soon until at least summer vacation comes, even then I might be busy acting in theatre. But I do intend to work on it little by little till I have a solid chunck done of the story. When that happens, I'll be posting more chapters.

I Hope you Enjoy~!

As of 02/09/2017: Minor spelling and grammar fixes.

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As It Should Be

_Mewmewmemint_

Chapter One

"Are you sure Father is going to return today?" Asked the young voice beside Sakura. Half-surprised at her daughter breaking the silence, Sakura inspected Sarada. The girl had grown up fast these past few years. Each and every day Sakura could see her father in her. In the way, she mastered a new technique, in the way her eyes glinted at a challenge, in her dark hair growing, and in her stoic stares when she was deep in thought, unsure, or impatient.

"Of course!" Sakura replied, "Your father's report flew in a week ago that he'll be returning for a few weeks. I can just feel it. Today is the day." Her green eyes turned back down the road leading to the village gate. Her voice was more confident than the laws of gravity.

"That's what you said last time." Sarada sighed flatly.

It wasn't that Sarada didn't look forwards to her father's return but she knew there was no getting her hopes up. Ever since she finally met him, he had made promises to come home more. But even those promises were seldom and even when he did make them, it took forever for him to follow through.

Another sigh escaped her lips of the 8-year-old, at least it was better than nothing.

A sharp intake of breath interrupted Sarada's foot tracing shapes into the rocks and dirt. Quickly looking at her mother, Sarada caught her mom's grin widen across her face. Following her eyes, Sarada spotted the silhouette heading towards the village. A matching smile appeared on the younger girl's face.

The shadow slowly became more solid against the sunlight. The forest around the road tinted in a brilliant orange. Then another silhouette emerged alongside the first. As they came closer, there was no doubt of her father's return. But Sarada did not recognize the man beside him and it was unusual for her father to travel with anyone either. Sarada's face scrunched, eyebrows furrowed as her mind raced to place the man's figure beside her father. The next words coming from her mother's mouth confused her more, seeing her mother's face filled with pure shock elicited worry.

"Impossible."

...

For Naruto, the day passed like any other day. Peaceful days in the village were almost plentiful after the war had ended. Ever since becoming the Hokage, Naruto rarely faces any challenges aside from the occasional rebel uprise here and there. Even the rebels were easily handled with Sasuke's help. It was hard to believe 10 years had passed. His generation was heading into their late 20s already. Before they all knew it they would be in their thirties!

Almost everyone was married with children now. InoShikaCho was being taught to the new generation, Shino was evaluating his students' progress, even his old rival was going to make it to his daughter's birthday for the first time in 8 years. The village was moving forwards and prospering.

Though bored most days, nothing could have made Naruto happier as Konoha's Hokage. Sure, his son still kept on giving him twice the work with his trouble making but even that made him happy knowing Boruto had such a fighting spirit. He was his son after all.

But today had seemed to be even more peaceful. For one, Boruto was with Hinata and Himawari celebrating Boruto's birthday. Which, would keep him out of trouble.

Sitting in his office, Naruto kept checking the time. It was his son's birthday and he wanted to head home early. Unfortunately, when noon had passed, a new stack of papers came in from the research department seeking for his approval on funding distribution.

Naruto was constantly being reminded of why his son acted out for his attention; being the Hokage took away a lot of his time from his family. If it wasn't for Hinata, Naruto would have been constantly racked with guilt. But she was a blessing who supported him and was the most understanding woman he had ever known. Sure… he did see the times when her eyes would show disappointment from his lack of company, but she would always remind him his job was important and she understood. Naruto also made it his job to make it up to her as much as he could, when he could.

A sigh escaped the blond. He was finally reaching his last few papers to review and he still had daylight to make it home in time to celebrate. As he began his reading he started to feel a familiar chakra coming close, and before he truly had time to analysis the possible reasons for the familiar chakra, his office door burst open to reveal his wife.

Hinata stood in the doorway out of breath, supporting herself with her hand on her knees, huffing until she caught her breath. When she looked up, Naruto's heart tightened. He met her eyes. Her beautiful pale lavender eyes were filled with a look he didn't recognize; her face was covered in sweat from what he assumed came from her rush her. Her brows were in a knot above eyes. Not another second passed before Naruto rushed in front of her and supporting her up with a strong hand on either side of her shoulders.

All sorts of scenarios were popping into his head. Where were Himawari and Boruto? Where they all right? His thoughts froze when Hinata's eyes began to water, she grabbed on the front of his robes for balance.

At that moment Naruto couldn't stand it anymore, his grip tightened on his wife and began to speak with a hesitant voice, "Hinata, what is wro- ?"

"Naruto!" She barely breathed out and took a pause to gasp for air before continuing, "Naruto… H-h-e... He's…" the stutter he hadn't heard from her in a long time escaped. He was almost about to speak up again, not able to take the silence. "Naruto… He's… He's home."

At that, Naruto became even more confused, but he almost felt instant relief at the lack of words suggesting tragedy. Naruto now recognized the look in his wife's eyes. It wasn't a look of sadness but of… relief? He took a breath.

"Hinata," he pried further, trailing his thumbs in soothing circles on Hinata's shoulders, "who? Whose home?" He waited patiently as she took a moment to collect herself. He gently wiped away a few tears falling across her cheeks.

"Naruto, He's home," Hinata repeated slowly forming her sentence letting her tears come even slower as a small smile reached her lips, "…Neji's Home."

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Review with Constructive Criticism. I hoped you enjoyed and I am sorry there will be a delay in future chapter postings.

Thank You :)


	2. Chapter Two

WARNING: I would just like to remind everyone that this story will be worked on but these two chapters are all there will be for a LOONNGG time... But I hope that doesn't discourage you from reading.

Please Enjoy :)

As of 2/9/2017: Minor fixes

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As It Should Be

_Mewmewmemint_

Chapter Two

News of Neji's return had quickly spread throughout the village like wildfire. There wasn't a single person in the village who didn't know the tale. The courageous Hyuga whose actions saved many lives during the war and sacrificed himself to protect Lady Hinata and their hero Naruto. He was alive and home!

Two days ago, when Sasuke Uchiha had returned from a long mission in Suna. Sakura Haruno had been waiting by the gates with her daughter for his return. As the two finally caught sight of his form nearing, they noticed he wasn't alone. Sasuke returned with the supposed dead Neji.

From there the guards immediately took him in to confirm his identity and set off to alert the Hokage and the Hyuga family. The news reached the prestige Hyugas first. When Hinata heard of his return she struggled to comprehend the situation.

The Hyuga household slowly turned into chaos amongst the Hyuga leaders. Blame was being tossed around, rash shouts made assumptions, and no one listen to anyone else. All was a blur to the Hyuga woman until realization sunk in. She had then rushed at a speed rivaling Konoha's Green Beast, arriving at her husband's office before the second messenger.

Naruto was one of the first to lay his eyes on the supposed fallen hero as Hokage. At the interrogation building, everyone was guarded. No one was to have direct contact with the man until all possible scenarios were explored. Not even the Hyuga family was granted permission to have direct contact. Hinata relied upon and trusted her husband's word that the man was possibly Neji.

All at the same time, Sakura had passed Ino on the way home. The pinkette informed the blonde of Sasuke's return with the Hyuga man. Ino was shocked and ended relaying the news to some friends, who told other friends. For towns in quiet and peaceful periods, it is no surprise when exciting news spread as fast. Everyone in town had known by the time the sun rose again the next day. It was only on the edge of the village, far away from the gossip did the word not reach.

...

In a small hut, three genins were being trained by their inexhaustible teacher and his former teammate. With his former teammate being the best weapon mistress he had known, there was no one better to help train his genin on a 4 days and 3 nights training camp like Tenten. With all the flattery and persistent pestering Lee could muster, Tenten really couldn't resist the request.

Their 3rd day was finally coming to an end, the genin was exhausted, even Lee's little mini-me was, and Tenten felt proud of that. Not only did she succeed in exhausting them, but they were also making leaps and bounds in their progress. Lee's mini-me struggled at first, but with a familiar persistence and extra work, he began to get the hang of the many different weapons. The female genin of the group reminded Tenten a lot of Sakura, her bright spirit but was blunt and harsh attitude towards her teammates, when they were lacking was exactly like the medical genius. And like Sakura, she easily caught on to the ideas only after a little practice. The third genin caught on the fastest between the three. Tenten would give a demonstration, and he would get it in 1 or 2 tries, a genius… In more than one way he reminded Tenten of her old teammate… Just like Neji, the young boy tended to keep on a silent persona, he was smart, and, though not directly or obviously, he cared for his teammates.

"Alright," Tenten announced pulling herself out of her thoughts, "That is enough for today. You all have been progressing at an excellent rate. Unfortunately, tomorrow is our last day here. We will only have time to have a morning practice to summarize what we have learned. Then we will head back home to home-cooked meals." She said smiling at Mini-me's loud excitement and the girl's smile. "Now head inside and rest. Just because we have a short day of training tomorrow doesn't mean it will be any easier. I have to get a whole day's worth of training in that short time, expect no breaks." That statement changed the two genins' mood dramatically and the third just look at her with eyes saying he was up for the challenge. Three headed inside leaving their teachers to clean up.

"Lee, you really have a good team," Tenten said turning to her friend with a smile.

"Of course! They are the Best of the Best!" Lee exuberantly shouted, "Thanks Tenten for your help this week. I really couldn't have taught them any better."

"It was nothing! And I was kind of surprised," Tenten began as she took a seat on the front porch bench, "I never expected to have as much fun with this as I did. It sort of reminded me of the old days. You, me… Neji." Leaning against a post, Lee looked at Tenten, whose eyes were trained on a bird's nest. Three tiny baby birds chirped away as their mother fed them one by one. For a rare moment, Lee let the silence continue, and he wasn't the first to break it as she began to speak again. "Lee, what do you think he would be doing if he was still here? It doesn't feel like much time has passed but in a way it has. Naruto is Hokage, many of our friends have children, many have become teachers to the new generation, and I can't help but wonder… what would Neji be doing now? Would he be here helping with this training camp? Would he be away on a top secret mission? Maybe he would be would be arguing with a girl on wanting to marry her and not letting her raise a child on her own?" Tenten jokingly asked at that last part.

"Neji would have been extremely frustrated not knowing how to express his feelings to the girl," Lee continued the joke, "and she would have ended up taking control of the situation, not allowing them to get married till after the baby came!" The two friends joined together in a laugh at the idea.

"I really wish I could see where he would be today," Tenten continued. The silence between them hung in the air as the watched the sky change. Again Tenten was first to speak up.

Lee got up from his post and took a seat next to Tenten, resting a hand on top of her hands, "I am sure, that wherever he is, he is finding a way to enjoy himself. He must be becoming even stronger as he watches over our village!" Sometimes Lee didn't make much sense to Tenten but she understood his intentions were good. She softly smiled back at him.

"Lee, I hear you caught the eye of a nurse." She sang changing the mood, "Gai says his nurse- I believe her name was Fuuko-keeps looking at you with the eyes of a 'youthful flower'?"

Tenten's eyes studied Lee as he pulled his hand back; his cheeks instantly turned a light shade of pink.

"Miss Fuuko is kind and dedicated to her work! Gai is right about Miss Fuuko being a youthful flower!" Lee loudly stated, enthusiastically standing up again. He didn't catch her accusation as she had hoped.

"Lee," she stressed getting his attention, "I mean she seems to like you! What do you think?" She teasingly smiled at her teammate, observing the blush rise again.

"T-Tenten, I must become stronger! I must train this future generation!" Lee shouted all flustered. Trying to discreetly avoid the subject.

"Yes…" Tenten gave up for now. "Well anyways, it's getting late. I am going to finish cleaning up out here. Why don't you start making dinner?" Tenten said getting up. Lee energetically agreed and headed in. Making it into training, Lee challenged himself to do one hand push-ups till the water boiled, and jumped on one leg place to place to gather different ingredients.

Outside Tenten started picking up the weapons scattered across the forest grounds. Thoughts of Neji often plagued her mind, she figured it was the same for Lee and Gai too, but when the thoughts began she always ended up questioning the 'What if's and 'What would he do'. He had the potential for more than he achieved. Tenten believed that if he was around now he would have been making a difference, as much as Naruto had made, maybe even more. His life was ended too early. Not that the cause wasn't noble, people said that there was no better way to die in battle than for loved ones. But to Tenten, it was as if his story wasn't finished and she could never shake that feeling away.

Pushing her thoughts aside, Tenten tried to get her mind off the subject. It was no use living on the 'What if's. She felt that once she got back to the village she would busy herself again to avoid these thoughts. Since the war ended, Tenten's ninja life had become less prominent, and she was able to open up the weapon shop her parents' had always dreamed of. Sure, she wasn't becoming rich off of it with peace spreading throughout the nations, but she made enough. With tools for carpenters and weapons for the academy, she got by. Even if her shop produced more tools than weapons she was satisfied, it was peaceful. She did still go on the occasional mission to help travelers and priceless pieces stay safe from nomadic bandits. With that money and the money from her shop, she made all that she needed.

Pondering of what new projects she could create next, Tenten finished picking up all of the weapons and was about to head inside to help Lee before dinner took ten times longer than it should.

Before she reached the door, she sensed a chakra coming closer into the hut's direction. Looking in the direction of the source, Tenten's muscles tensed as she sensed for the newcomer to come nearer. She rested her hand over her weapon holster for safeties sake. Soon the figure was near enough for her to realize there was no threat. The chakra was one of familiarity.

Landing a few feet away from her, Kiba stood next to his giant dog. Kiba had grown even taller since the war passed, his hair was slightly longer, and he had taken to growing hair on his chin. It amazed Tenten how much everyone had grown in the last few years.

"Yo, Tenten, why the hell are guys so far away? It took me and Akamaru forever to catch on to your guys' scent!" Kiba blurted. "Lee is here right? I smell him, go get him." Tenten didn't like the way he ordered her to get Lee. Something must have been up and she refused to move till Kiba gave her at least a little more information. Seeing that, the man continued, "Something... strange has come up in the village. It's very important. And I am pretty sure both you and Lee are going to want to hear this. Can you get Lee?" His response seemed to satisfy Tenten as she went for through the doorway and called for Lee to come out.

"What's going on?" Lee asked when he came out to see Kiba standing in front of them. Both adults turned the attention to Kiba. Taking a deep breath, Kiba walked past them and sat on the bench. He leaned forwards resting his elbows on his legs contemplating where to begin.

"Yesterday, you won't believe this. Heck, I can hardly believe it! No one can!" Kiba leaned back into the bench and saw the nest, the three baby birds now nuzzled up to their mother for warmth. In a calmer tone, he continued, "Yesterday he returned to the village. It's hard to believe it but he is alive." He paused and looked at the two jounin, seriousness dominating his face. "Dammit, Neji's alive."

No words were spoken as moments passed. Only the sound of the leaves rustling and arguing genin in the hut could be heard around them as they processed the man's words. The teammates looked towards the other. Lee and Tenten, both doubting that they heard Kiba right. After all, Neji had clearly died, stabbed through his torso, huge chunks missing. Multiple organ failures, the blood losses and he had been so cold when Lee had held him. His cursed seal had faded and his heart had stopped. There was no way he could be alive. Lee was first to voice their thoughts.

"I'm not sure if I understand. Neji is dead. We all saw it."

"I know! That's what I thought too!" Kiba exclaimed, "There was no way someone could survive that in the middle of a battle. None! I don't know all the details and I haven't seen it myself, but these are words from Naruto himself. He sent me to find you guys to tell you. I know Naruto can be stupid but apparently, he saw Neji with his own eyes! Hinata believes it is him too! She wouldn't stop crying when she told us about it. None of this makes sense but he's alive. I don't know how he is alive, but if you think about it… his body was never recovered after the battle. Many bodies were lost in the chaos of the war, but I guess it really meant something."

Another moment of silence passed as Kiba's words were settling.

"Look, I know this might be hard to believe, but Naruto and the elders are requesting both of your assistance. Because of this unbelievable circumstances, those closest to Neji are being summoned for an investigation to be sure if this is truly Neji. But everything so far has seemed pretty legit. After all, he seemed to pass in the Uchiha's eyes when he brought him back."

Tenten eyes looked towards Lee, not sure what to feel. He was standing just as lost in thoughts as she was. Tenten wanted to believe it was true. She wanted to believe more than anything that it was. But Tenten was not naïve. The fact Neji was alive was not indicating good possibilities. Could someone have used the Edo Tensei? If so why and who? If he had survived why hadn't he come back sooner? It had been 10 years. Neji couldn't be alive… there was no way. Neji was dead… but if it were true…

"We need to head back." Interrupted Kiba, "I'm sorry to end training early but, as you can understand, the situation is messed up."

Lee was first to respond, nodding his head at Kiba. Before heading inside to gather the young genin, Lee gave Tenten a glance. Her expression still hadn't changed. While Lee wanted to cry, she wasn't allowing any emotion to surpass her features. She was stuck in her thoughts trying to rationalize with logic. Lee understood her shock was being expressed differently. He wanted to know what was going on now. Tenten… she seemed to be stuck on the how and why.

Kiba turned his attention toward the brunette, noticing she hadn't once spoken a word out loud about the news he had given them. He was a little concerned. "Tenten, you okay?"

Hearing her name brought her out of her thoughts. It took a moment to register Kiba's question. When she finally spoke her voice was quiet, "I don't know."

If everything was true and Neji was alive and there had been no strings attached, she would be overjoyed. But she knew things couldn't have been that simple. But if it really wasn't him, and it was some kind of trick, she felt she wouldn't be able to handle it. It would be exactly like she was reliving Neji's death again, and the first time was hard enough.

Tenten begins to head to the door but stops when Lee comes out with his confused genin.

"We're ready to go," Lee states. Holding up a bag to Tenten, he says, "Here, we got your stuff all packed up for you."

Reaching for her bag, Tenten looks up and meets her eyes with Lee's and thanked him. They both felt lost. But the news that came to them couldn't be ignored.

The news created a spark beginning to grow into a small flame, if ignored it could begin to hurt and become damaging to their thoughts. But if tended to, the small flame could bring hope and light to them. The only way to know whether to hope or fear was to see to it for themselves.

...

It didn't take long for the Jounin to make it back to the village. After Lee saw to his genin make it home, they made their way to the interrogation facility. Traveling in silence, it didn't too long for the three to reach the building.

The building was one almost all ninja of chūnin rank and up were familiar with. On the occasional job, a mission would revolve around finding specific suspects for interrogation. It had been awhile since Tenten had been here. In truth, she actually only had been here on two other occasions. Both cases involved highly dangerous enemies and both involved missions with Neji. One was Tenten and Neji's first mission together without Lee or Gai. It was also the first time Tenten realized that Neji actually cared for his teammates, in his own little way that is.

The ninja they needed to hunt down had been found lying low in their village. He had been caught spying and relaying information to the Village Hidden in the Rain. When his cover had been blown he had fled from the village. That was when Lady Tsunade sent Neji and her to track him down. They were able to successfully catch the man and bring him back but not without landing Tenten to the hospital for a couple of weeks. Later they found out their man had committed suicide with a poison pill hidden under the guy's nail. Though they succeed in retrieving the man, both Neji and Tenten never felt satisfied with the results. Their next retrieval mission went without a hitch.

Even through the memories, nothing could ever make this building look inviting. It was the most intimidating buildings in Konoha, in Tenten's opinion. It was more unwelcoming than the village's prison. The building was angular, built with solid brick stones ground up, surrounded by a brick fence that was twice the height of the building. The only other material used was a strong metal creating the doorways and doors. There were no windows and all materials were made chakra proof.

Upon approaching the building, a guard came up to the three ninjas and explained to Kiba that his job was complete. Only Neji's teammates were allowed to go any further and then ushered Tenten and Lee through the guarded gates. On the other side of the gates, it was just as Tenten remembered, filed with at least a dozen of guards pacing the grounds. Once inside the doors, another guard came up to them with a metal chest. They were both instructed to dispose of any and all weapons on their persona into the chest, security's sake. After condensing all of her weapons into 3 scrolls, Lee and Tenten were off again. They traveled through dozens of hallways, each looking just like the previous hall, but the guard kept leading them deeper and deeper underground.

"Tenten, do you think Neji is hungry?" Lee commented out of nowhere. It had earned him an incredulous look from the woman which he missed as he looked at their surroundings, "I mean, do you think he has been doing all this time? Do you think maybe he was in poor health and barely ate? Maybe that was why he didn't come back sooner? He was injured badly."

"I don't know, Lee," Tenten replied only looking straight ahead. She knew what Lee was doing, he was trying to make it seem real. He was actually believing that there could be hope in Neji's return. It couldn't be true, "Even if he was hurt that badly and didn't die, this is Neji we are talking about. He would have found a way. And yet it was Sasuke who found him. From the way, it sounds Neji seemed to be in well enough health to travel back with Sasuke. So why didn't he come back on his own? And that is if his wound didn't kill him. Think about it Lee, Neji was stabbed through major organs, his cursed mark disappeared, and medics even proclaimed him dead. I want to believe it's true but realistically everything isn't pointing otherwise."

Tenten hated herself for saying it. Lee's gaze refocused on the ground as he took in her words. She wanted more than anything to be wrong. She wanted to be optimistic like Lee; she wanted Neji to really be in the same building as them, alive again.

No one spoke up the rest of the way down the halls. It wasn't until they were lead up to a door several stories underground when the guard spoke.

"This is it. A few rules first. One, no speaking with him, two, no contact with him, and three, what is seen here cannot be spoken outside these walls, even if just to each other. These rules must be held up unless stated otherwise by the Hokage himself. Are we clear?" the guard asked, his stone grey eyes waiting for Lee's and Tenten's nods, "Good. One more thing. Since we have not been able to find evidence that he is truly Neji Hyuga some… precautions have been taken. Don't let it affect your actions." With that, the guard's gruff hands reached for the keys at his side and unlocked the door and he ushered them in.

On the other side of the door, the two ninjas found themselves on a balcony. The balcony stretched the length of the room's wall. Beside the door, there were two guards on either side of the door and further in the teammates found eight other individuals on the balcony with them. Lee and Tenten first caught the eyes of the Hokage himself. His blue eyes pierced theirs with a rare seriousness. Behind him stood two of the village's elders, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane. To Naruto's left stood Konoha's famous strategist, Shikamaru. The three remaining occupants were Hyugas. The two oldest of the Hyugas were the prestige Hyuga Elder. They both stood to the right of the Hyuga clan head, Hiashi. The last one was Hinata standing closest to the railing.

"Now that everyone is here, let us begin." Announced Utatane.

"Straight to business as always Utatane. You haven't changed very much." Responded the Hyuga elder turning his back away from the newcomers. "Has he been interrogated yet?"

"E-elder!" Hinata's voice squeaked at the elder's rash words. "An interrogation seem too-"

"Lady Hinata! It would only be the proper procedure here. Any other ninja would receive the same treatment." Interrupted the elder harshly. The stare he gave Hinata caused the girl to look away and over the balcony.

"An interrogation is for enemies." Naruto came to the defense, try to control his anger but failing to hide the intensity his eye held for the elder.

"The Hokage is right." All eyes except Hinata's turned to Hiashi when he spoke those words. "As the Hokage and Hinata say, a traditional interrogation is too rash."

"Traditional." Shikamaru spoke catching on quickly to the Hyuga's words, "are you suggesting something else?"

The Hyuga turned his eyes to the strategist, contemplating the words inside his head before speaking out loud.

"Though Neji was once a valued member of this village, there is no guarantee this man is or is not my nephew." He spoke, "we cannot simply let him re-emerge with our village. Though a traditional interrogation is not necessary, we need something to determine whether or not he is a threat."

"I agree with Lord Hyuga," said Mitokado.

"But what will we do?" Naruto spoke up. His gaze went over the balcony like Hinata's unwavering one.

"Is..." Tenten began. Nothing was making sense her nor Lee. Everyone in the room had been talking about the matter seriously. But Neji was here? In Konoha? That fact still couldn't sink in. And when Tenten began speaking and all eye once again landed on the pair, her body all of a sudden became hyper aware of their surroundings. The mugginess of the room stuck to her skin, she could feel the rough cement beneath her sandals and even heard the hitch in Lee's breathe when everyone looked at them. Tenten struggled with her next words, "is... is he here?"

The next thing she noticed was how both Hinata and Naruto simultaneously glanced back over the rail.

Lee was first to move forward. Walking between Naruto, the elders, Shikamaru, and the Hyugas. He reached for the railing right next to Hinata with his hands.

Tenten studied as his face changed from being neutral to a look almost of pain. Tenten didn't want to move. Based off of Lee's reaction she knew she did not want to see what Lee was looking at either. She knew, though, she couldn't deny also wanting to know at the same time she didn't. Her first two steps were hesitant but then became steady as she made her way to the railing as well.

Looking over into the small room, her eyes immediately went to the center. In the middle of the room below them, was a metal chair. Sitting on the chair sat a man. The man was in white pants and had no shoes on, allowing his feet to touch the bare cement floor. His arms were bound around him by the white long sleeved shirt he was in a straitjacket. His longer than normal brown hair hung tangled over the back of the chair. His face... over his face, a bandage was wrapped all around his eyes and up. Preventing him any chance of seeing anything. His hearing also must have been muffled due to the bandage. The only part of his skin seen was from his cheeks to his collarbone and his ankles on down. His torso was wrapped with what Tenten recognized to be chakra suppressing chains, anchoring him to the chair. Another set of chains guarded both ankles to the legs of the chair as well. Only briefly did Tenten's eyes tear away from the man to recognize the binding seals written from all four corners to the center of the floor where the chair sat. Any pride this human once had seemed to of been stripped of him and chained down. It was awful.

Beside her, Lee's grip on the railing tightens enough to cause a small indent. Opposed to Tenten's limp form, Lee's was tense all the way down to his toes.

"This is inhumane!" He cried out, tears rushing down his face. Naruto's face cringe in empathetic pain and the elders looked away. Shikamaru kept his gaze on the ground and Hiashi stared at the man, his face not betraying any emotion. Lee began to sob while still staring at the man. No one spoke. The first move came from Hinata. Gently Hinata placed her hand on Lee's. Looking at him with shared empathy and a few tears shading down her cheeks.

"I have an idea." Everyone turned took at Shikamaru when spoke except for Lee and Tenten.

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Sooo... Tell me what you think? I'd love to hear you Constructive Criticism! I want my writing to keep improving, just let me know if I have any mistakes (especially the repetitive ones :p). Sorry I won't be updating for a LOOOOONNNNGGG time.

Thank You for taking the time to read all of this!


	3. Chapter Three

Hello! Long time no see! :) Sorry it's been a while. I have had this chapter started for a while and I was slightly lacking inspiration. But Alas! A new Chapter! I know there isn't much interactions between Neji and Tenten yet, but I'm getting there~ Slowly but surely :p

Enjoy!

* * *

As It Should Be

_Mewmewmemint_

Chapter Three

The members in the room gathered near the railing watching as the guards that escorted Shikamaru down below then conveyed the order to the guards posted in the room. Then the two guards approached the man seated. Slowly they unlocked the chains around his ankles and torso putting them aside.

Next, one of the guards pulled the man seated forwards allowing the other guard to untie the straight jacket. Once free of the straight jacket purple and red scars on his bare chest came into view. They were not as prominent as one would assume them to be after such a wound. The colors marred like cracks in his skin. Showing where the skin ripped as sharp objects previously pushed through his core. His chest, though still lean, was not as defined as a well-trained ninja's normally was. One of the guards then unraveled the wrap from around his head. His forehead lacking the cursed sealed associated with Neji.

As they stepped back everyone got a good look at the man. His face revealed he looked like Neji, but if possible, he was paler. His arms laid limp on his lap, and his eyes were closed. He was unconscious. Then all four guards in the room below each sat in a corner above a seal. After a few hand motions, the four simultaneously slammed their palms into the ground and released the seal. Everything was still for a moment. Then the man's eyes twitched.

All who were watching were on edge, whether they showed it or not.

Shikamaru walked forwards to and stopped a few paces away from the man.

"Tell me," Shikamaru's voice echoed through the silence, "are you Neji Hyuga?"

The man raised his head up, his hair shifted further out of his face, and slowly he opened his eyes. Though the room was dimly lit it took him a few blinks for his eyes to adjust. Tenten's breath got caught at the sight of his eyes. They were his eyes, Neji Hyuga's eyes. Tears unknowingly trailed down from the girl's bright brown eyes. It was him.

"My name is Neji Hyuga. I was born July 3rd, son of Hizashi Hyuga, nephew of Hiashi Hyuga, and cousin of Hinata and Hanabi Hyuga. I am a Jounin member of Team Gai. In the war, I was severely injured." He reported back to Shikamaru. His voice, though slightly hoarse, had the same steadiness as Neji.

"Good," Shikamaru said, satisfied with the man's response, "Now tell me how you survived your injury."

The only thing running through Tenten's mind was, Neji's alive.

...

_The Fourth Great Shinobi War._

_"You hold more… more than one... life in your hands…" Neji forced out his words. He had saved his comrades, his friends, he knew he wasn't going to last much longer, "and it seems… that my life too… may have been...one of them…"_

_Neji's was struggling to breathe. No matter his resistance his vision began to become blurry._

_"Why would you do this for me? Even give your life…" Naruto choked out, his tears threatening to spill. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Naruto had sworn to keep everyone safe and yet…_

_"Because… you called me a genius…" Neji interrupted his thoughts. At that point, Neji's body began to feel lighter. He knew his seal was releasing as his eyesight disappeared. He understood now, there was never a fate that could solidify an outcome. He, like his father, had a will of his own. All at once he felt his body go limp as everything disappeared._

_Further along, as the battle advanced, a small team of medics scoured the grounds for any surviving among the dead. In the team was a young sand ninja named Hiroshi._

_The young boy looked from body to body for signs of chakra. Most lack any signs and other only showed the tiniest hint of chakra that quickly faded. It wasn't until he came to a small source of chakra disappearing did he stop._

_Hiroshi recognized the man lying on the ground. He had seen him many times throughout the war, he was a strong ninja. Every time the man ended fighting near the medics, Hiroshi would stare at the man in admiration. Every move he had made was precise, his body was lean, and his presence on the battlefield encourage his comrades to not give up. It was sad seeing such a strong ninja laying in a pool of his blood._

_"What is it Hiroshi, we don't have time." A slightly older sand ninja approach the younger. Her green eyes followed the younger boy's eyes. "Hiroshi he is dead. There is nothing we can do for him."_

_"But big sister," his words were halted at her stern stare back._

_"We cannot save them all." She stiffly replied refusing to meet his green eyes again as she walked past him. Masa, unlike her younger brother, had seen more of what the world had in store for those pursuing the ninja lifestyle. In battles, there was no time for a medic to waste on those who barely had a fighting chance._

_"I understand," the boy almost whispered looking down at the fallen ninja. The boy knew of the man's sacrifice, he had seen many comrades' let tears fall for the man and saw their hesitance move onwards to battle._

_Noticing her brother's absences behind her, Masa turned to find him still standing over the man, his brown hair falling forwards as he stared down at the man._

_"Hiroshi!" She called. But her voice missed the boy in his daze. She studied her brother's form for a minute. He was naïve. Barely old enough to even qualify to fight in this war. Yet, he was stubborn. Masa could do nothing but let out a huff in frustration. Heading back to her brother she spoke, "well, come on. If this guy has a chance, we best hurry him back to the tent before the others see."_

_Surprised, the boy looked at his sister as she slowly lifted the man by his arm._

_"Are you going to help me or not? I can't carry him on my own!"_

_"Yes, big sister!" Hiroshi immediately responded, taking action._

_"Sheesh, if Lady Chiyo was still around she would've scolded me for being so soft," Masa muttered to herself._

_..._

_In the tent, the siblings were busy prepping the body. With the wooden shards removed they had to work fast. Though the body was already dead and the blood wasn't flowing, the less blood the man lost the better. He had already lost more blood than most were capable of handling. Much of his organs were destroyed as well._

_Quickly, Masa expertly reconnected veins and arteries, then tissue and muscle. Hiroshi was in charge of preparing to revise his vitals. As soon as Masa was finished, they needed to restore circulation to the body as soon as possible. It would be pointless if they revived the man to a shredded body._

_Hours had passed before the body's circulation was restored, his heart being pumped by a tool the sibling knew would be useful in this bloody war._

_"We did it, big sister!" Cheered Hiroshi, almost out of breath._

_"Hiroshi! This is no time to relax. We are nowhere near being done yet. He is still dead. The only thing we have done is create a soulless body." Masa sternly spoke to her brother. "This next part is what really matters. We have to be careful. If we don't do this correctly, this man won't be the only one dead."_

_"But Masa, we've done it before, I know we can do it." He grinned up at his sister._

_"Don't be so naïve, "Masa said. Taking off her gloves, she then pulled her brown locks into a low ponytail trailing over her shoulder. "Before we had Lady Chiyo supervising us. If our chakra started becoming unbalanced she'd warn us about it. Now we don't have her. If we don't give an equal amount of chakra, one of us will die. You know the One's Own Life Reincarnation (Kishō Tensei) technique is dangerous. It was only originally intended to trade the user's life with the dead's. You must not forget what Lady Chiyo taught us."_

_"We 'must never underestimate the importance of a life,'" Hiroshi recited._

_"Exactly," Masa smirked back at her brother's response. "Are you ready for this?"_

_..._

"One's Own Life Reincarnation?" Shikamaru interrupted. "That technique was forbidden in Suna."

Staring down to Neji, Shikamaru waited for his response. After clearing his throat, he gave Shikamaru his response.

"The technique is forbidden. But before, when Lady Chiyo was conducting the research, Masa and Hiroshi's parents also partook in the research. They had been trying to develop a better technique that instead could be used in the medical field opposed to being used for puppeteering. The idea was to join two life forces together in order to strengthen the odds of survival." Neji explained, not breaking eye contact with Shikamaru, "the problem was finding compatible life forces were nearly impossible. They first attempted pairs up in healing dead fish, but because of a lack of compatibility most failed and ended up hospitalized for weeks recovering."

"I see," Shikamaru ponders, "and then they tested the siblings."

"Yes." Neji said, "They discovered the siblings playing outside the research lab. When they witnessed the pair perform some combination techniques when they got the idea about the siblings. Their parents had been hesitant but eventually agreed. And thus after years of training, the two had almost completely mastered it."

"But then Suna wanted to stop the research." Shikamaru had put things together.

"Yes, when word got out about the two children practicing the technique the citizens' panic knowing of the research's failed past attempts." Neji finished. "Fear for the children stopped any further advancements. Masa and Hiroshi spoke of how they were insistent on continuing but were discouraged by Lady Chiyo.

"I understand. And after they performed the technique on you, what happened?" Shikamaru encouraged him to continue.

"Soon after they had performed the technique and restored my life, the Infinite Tsukuyomi took effect and everyone fell asleep. When the Tsukuyomi was broken, I had not woken. The siblings could only leave me there as they returned to their duties to the war. Only when the war ended did they returned for me. I was taken back to their village. They continued to take care of me. While unconscious, Masa, and Hiroshi waited for any notice about missing ninja matching my description. None came and so all that was left for them was to wait for me to wake up."

The siblings returned to life in their small hometown just outside of Suna with the man. Three months had past and nothing had changed. The man had been set up in a bedroom with no signs of awakening. He had been breathing on his own but needed an IV and catheter. They had helped the body continue to function. They allowed him to receive nutrients and to rid of waste as needed.

...

_"Big sister, do you think he is going to wake up?" asked Hiroshi. It has become one of his chores to keep the body clean. And like any other day, he sat by the bed with a wet washcloth cleaning the man's skin._

_"It has been months. At this rate, I don't think he has much hope." Masa responded, bringing in a new change of blankets. "When he was down, there was a chance his brain received damage. Even IF there is a chance he wakes up, he could end up not being… all there."_

_The younger boy looks away from her, back to the unconscious man. He knew the chances too. After all, his sister wasn't the only one who had gone through medical training. But for this man's sake, he hoped fate was on his side._

_"I know," he whispered, more to himself than to Masa. Masa hated seeing her brother's helplessness. But she couldn't let him get hurt. It would be worse for him if he truly believed the man would make it rather than if he thought of it realistically._

_"Anyways," she said, finishing replacing the bedding. "I am going to the market now. We can't get much this time so we will have to make it last. We may have to get through this month on rice. Make sure when I get back we have enough wood for the fire. The days have been getting colder lately."_

_Masa left Hiroshi in their small cabin. Though it was small, it was just enough for the siblings. They had learned to make a living through the production of many herbal medicines. But they learned sometimes it wasn't enough either. The pair also took on many odd jobs from the villages. From mending clothing to chopping wood for the elderly to cleaning for the wealthy. Despite the occasional dispute over their land, the siblings lived happily._

_Hiroshi had just finished stacking the wood when a sound was heard. At first, Hiroshi wasn't even sure if he had heard anything at all. But when the low groan cut the silence again Hiroshi rushed to the stranger's room. Laying on the bed, the man's finger curled and his face scrunched up, releasing another moan of pain. Hiroshi was immediately by the man's side._

_"Hey! Hey, are you awake?" He called. At his voice, the man's face tensed again, a sign of responsiveness, "Can you open your eyes? Are you in pain? Hey, don't move!"_

_As the boy bombarded him incessantly with questions the man attempted to sit up. His arms ached as they tried to raise the man's torso into a sitting position. Before he was able to, a sharp pain surge throughout his whole body, causing the man to fall into the boy's arms reaching out to support._

_"Hey, I said don't move. Your body hasn't moved in months. Big sister and I tried to keep your body in the best shape we could but there was only so much we could do."_

_Clutching his hands to his face, the man could only feel pain. His body wasn't moving the way he was wanting it to, a loud sound kept on echoing through his ears, and his eyes... He couldn't get them to open. No matter what he tried he couldn't make sense of the situation, where he was, who he was, and what he was doing. All he could focus on was his overloading senses and his racing heart. The boy soon realized this. After waking up from a coma, what your mind was once used to usually become weak. Like muscles that have not been exercised in a while. Instead of continuing with his questions, Hiroshi took a few minutes to study his heart beat._

_Feeling the muscle beat under his palm felt strange. For the past months, the stranger's heart had a below average pace. Now it was rushing as if to prove its worth again. Hiroshi slowly moved his hand from the pulse on the man's back into slow movements trailing up and down. He needed to give the man time to adjust. Moments passed as the grown man groaned in agony. When the man finally became silent except for heavy breaths, Hiroshi stopped his soothing movements._

_"My name is Hiroshi," he stated, still supporting the man, "I know you are probably very confused but… you are all right." The man's breathing seemed to relax in response to the boy's words. Knowing that the stranger was going through a lot, Hiroshi eased him back down into a laying position as the man dozed back off into a deep slumber._

_Hiroshi sat beside the man on the bed. He watched over him. Listening to the man's breathing became steady. He wasn't sure how long he sat there listening but it wasn't until he heard the door close did he realize his sister had returned._

_"Hiroshi! Guess what, old man Gorou gave us the best deal on some spiced meats! It's sure to hold us over for…" Masa's voice trailed off as she met her brother outside the stranger's room. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"_

_"He woke up" Hiroshi replied._

_"What? Really?" Surprise laced through his sister's voice. Her green eyes met the same shade as his. She saw both worry and confusion etched into them. "Hiroshi, what happened?"_

_Leading them both back to the main room in front of the fireplace, Hiroshi filled his sister in on what he witnessed. They both sat on the floor staring at the flames for a while. Hiroshi took a particular interest in a branch slowly being burned from where it connected to the end of the branch. It did not have a chance to escape. Masa turned her eyes back to her brother then gave a sigh._

_"Hiroshi," she whined, "what did I say? I told you to be prepared. There was a huge chance that man would end up like this. It's only to be expected with an injury like this. When a heart stops, oxygen is unable to reach the brain. His heart had stopped for a long time. He could have serious damage. You know this." Masa's gaze drilled at her brother but he didn't look away from the fire._

_"I know… It's just," Hiroshi began then paused to reorganize his thoughts, "Didn't you see him? Didn't you see the way he was battling? It was amazing. He was powerful. And… and his eyes… the way they caught everything… I just don't understand!" He fiercely met his sister's eyes. "How could someone so strong be defeated like that? It doesn't make sense; I never saw anyone that strong before…" Hiroshi tried to hold back his tears. He felt so frustrated and helpless. This should have worked._

_Masa grabbed her brother's head and brought it to her chest. Wrapping another comforting arm around him as he buried his face and cried. But Masa didn't say a word. She knew she could not say anything to help her brother. So instead she stayed silent and held her brother. They didn't have much, but the siblings were always there for each other. For a long time, it had only been them since their parents died. They quickly learned to depend on each other; they were all they had._

_As Hiroshi's sobs settled down he pulled away from his sister and rubbed the reminiscence of his tears away. Masa was resting a hand on her brother's shoulder when she heard a soft thud under her brother's sniffles. Her head immediately went to the stranger's room, slowly followed by Hiroshi's. The siblings briefly look at one another before they both got up and cautiously walked to the door. At the door, they listened inside. Low moans and the sound of something on the wooden floor was heard. Masa grabbed the door and slowly pushed the door in._

_Inside the room, tangled up in blankets, the man was sprawled on the ground. His arms were weakly propping himself up as he tried to pull himself forwards with his eyes held tightly shut. Hiroshi immediately rushed towards the man. Before Masa could stop her brother, he was already holding the man's side to maneuver him into a sitting position against the bed._

_"Are you alright?" Hiroshi worriedly asked the man whose head rested far back on the bed. Though his moaning stopped, like before, he was still breathing fast. Masa made her way by her brother and crouched beside the two._

_"Mister, you need to relax," Masa commanded to the hopeless man, noticing his IV cords becoming taut. "If you keep struggling like this, you will end up hurting yourself."_

_"Big sister, I don't think he can understand us. It was like this before…" Hiroshi's furrowed eyes met his sister's._

_"We need to get him back on the bed." Masa went around to the man's other side and prepared herself to lift the man with her brother like before. This time, the man had been a lot lighter than the last times they had to carry him. What happened next had both siblings stop in mid-lift._

_"Uuhhh… I…" the man began clumsily. He began squeezing his eyes even tighter. A minute passed where the siblings weren't sure if they actually heard him. They were both about to continue in their efforts when Hiroshi noticed the man's eyes slowly open. The man's eyes were more remarkable than Hiroshi could remember. He was struck with shock as the man began slowly blinking his eyes. "I… I can't… can't see…" At this, the man's eyes were open. Masa and Hiroshi stared into them for any contradictory signs._

_As the man's head moved around, his irises did not contract at all. The man remained silent while the siblings regain their senses and put him back down again._

_"Can you hear me?" Hiroshi tested. It was delayed, but a distinguishable nod came from the stranger. "My name is Hiroshi and my sister is here beside me. Her name is Masa. You are in Suna. I don't know if you remember this, but during the Great Shinobi War, you were badly injured. My sister and I saved you." And Hiroshi with Masa's assistance he relayed the story back to the man._

_..._

"After that day I had to go through a lot of physical therapy. It took about 3 years till was I able to walk on my own. It was 4 years later, 3 years ago that my eyesight began to come back. We were never positive as to why it took so long to recover my sight." The man named Neji continued. "At first I couldn't recall on my own what had happened during the war, but eventually, my memories came back to me."

"Why did you wait till now to return? You say you were fully functional 3 years ago. Why did you wait? What made you return now?" Shikamaru bluntly ask. Tenten blinked at the questions. Throughout Neji's story, though a little hard to believe, everything made sense to her. She had almost been completely willing to give into hope then. Her hope was halted with Shikamaru's questions. If he was really Neji why hadn't he returned as soon as he was capable? Why hadn't he at least informed the Suna siblings of who he was in order to notify Konoha? Why? Tenten's brown eyes met with Lee's dark ones as both came upon the realization.

Neji didn't respond as quickly as a few of the previous answers. It almost seemed as if he was re-organizing his thought.

"I owed them." Neji said, "At first, I was known as Kou to them. I wasn't sure if I could trust them in the beginning. As time passed I found there would have been no benefit for them to lie to me. They were honest people. As I started being able to move on my own, I decided to help them. Masa and Hiroshi, to begin with, were not well off."

"Then why did you return?" Shikamaru asked.

"The village had been attacked. It was almost destroyed and I could do nothing to really help. I still do not have the strength I used to have. My chakra… my Byakugan… I am unable to use either. The town didn't think we could survive. That was when Sasuke came." Neji responded.

Shikamaru took a sigh.

All became quiet. At the balcony, Naruto had an arm protectively around Hinata, the older Hyugas were intently listening, the elders were both lost in their thoughts about the story, and Lee was staring at Tenten. Along with Shikamaru, Lee and Tenten had noticed how Neji subtly avoided answering Shikamaru's last question. None of them knew what the avoidance meant.

"From what I can tell," Shikamaru broke the silence, "all of what you said has been the truth. This situation is troublesome… Neji Hyuga, though your story seems plausible, we cannot take the risk to let you simply return. But neither keeping you locked up here seems right. We have decided to allow your release under probationary supervision."

Shikamaru glances up at those above to survey the spectator's responses. Most gave a sigh of relief, Lee, Hinata, and Naruto, while others maintained their emotionless expressions. Though Tenten's face was a curious one. Shikamaru could not detect either relief or disdain, but concern. Shikamaru concluded his decision and looked back to the Hyuga man.

"You will be under Tenten's supervision until further notice." He finished and turned to leave the room.

Most of the people above were shocked at the strategist's decision. All eye turned towards Tenten. The elders were the first to look away with doubt but they left without a word. Next, the Hyugas turned to Naruto.

"I hope this was the right decision," Hiashi spoke before leaving with the older Hyuga after a nod came from Konoha's Hokage. Hinata and Naruto decided to leave the former teammates temporarily after a brief glance at the two.

Only Tenten and Lee were left to stare down at Neji being prepped for release. Lee spoke first.

"Tenten… I think he really is Neji…" His words were hesitant but firm. After no response, he turned to look at the girl next to him. Tears had still been slowly streaming down her face as her eyes were glued on the man down below. Lee could see the conflict written all over her face. He then looked back down just as the white-eyed man looking up at them for the first time. He first made eye contact with Lee then met the eyes of the brown haired girl. Neither teammates could breathe for a second. The familiar eyes stared at them until the guards came to guide him out.

"You two will need to follow me." A new guard spoke as he entered the balcony. Both ninjas turned to look at him after Neji exited the room below "we will be meeting Neji Hyuga on the main floor where Shikamaru will lay out the rules for you, Tenten, and the Hyuga."

Lee nodded towards the man and looked back to his companion. Tenten had quickly pulled herself together for the time being and returned Lee's look with a nod. The ninja then began their journey back wordlessly.

* * *

Yay! Thank you to all those who reviewed. They were encouraging. I made myself sit down to finish this chapter (It took me the whole day) and they helped me through it. You finally know how Neji survived! Sorry that there was a lot of flashback. But I felt it was important. I originally wasn't planning on creating any new/slightly-major characters but to make the theory on Neji's survival more plausible I figured it was better through these characters. Let me know what you think! Any guesses as to what's going to come next? :p

Until Next Time! :D


	4. Chapter Four

I'm still alive~ I know it's been forever. But, I'm alive. Not only am I alive but I have more to the story.

Enjoy!

* * *

As It Should Be

_Mewmewmemint_

Chapter Four

As Shikamaru met with the Elders and Hokage in a conjoined room, Lee, Tenten and Neji sat waiting in the next room. No words were spoken as the guards watched over the room. The three had been sitting on opposing benches on each side of the room, Lee and Tenten to the left of the door and Neji to the right. It was strange for the comrades to be sitting in silence in such a closed space. In the past Neji would be passively provoking Lee, Lee would be challenging Neji, and Tenten would be trying desperately to defuse the tension. But today it was almost as if they were strangers. Neji staring down, Lee looking at Neji and Tenten looking towards the door. The situation was different now.

Lee had been looking for anything to give himself doubt about the situation, a stray feature, any puppet strings, or even for an odd birthmark. But almost everything was the same. Ahead of him was the man he remembered, his frame, his hair, his eyes… Then Lee's eyes found the man's forehead. It was unmarked. Not a scratch nor a bruise, and even more odd, there was no mark. The Cursed Mark of the Hyuga Branch family was gone. The mark that represented so much to Neji and the Hyuga clan was just missing.

Lee cleared his throat, gaining the attention of all but one. As Lee prepared to speak, Tenten's heart began to race in anticipation. The still air thickened with it. Lee organized his thoughts under the gaze of Tenten and the guards. Lee opened his mouth ready to ask his question but the tension was suddenly disrupted by Shikamaru at the door.

"Come in," Shikamaru let out a sigh. Lee's words were forgotten.

Neji was first to go in, followed by the other two after few hesitated seconds. In the room sitting around a table sat Naruto, the village elders and a scribe taking some finishing notes.

"Have a seat and we can discuss the terms of this agreement."

After being seated, Tenten looked towards Shikamaru expecting him to continue. Instead, it was Naruto's words that came next.

"Neji… as stated earlier, there has been no evidence in your tale to incriminate you. You seem to be the true Hyuga Neji. However, Konoha is still recovering. For the village's safety, precaution must be taken. A probationary contract has been suggested in order for you to return." Naruto said looking at said man. He then reached over to the scribe for the papers traced out, "in this contract the elders and I have come up with a few conditions."

The papers were passed out to everyone at the table. It was copies of the contract, its terms listed amongst the words.

"This probationary period," Shikamaru continued, "will be supervised by Tenten and I. During said period you will be placed in a Konoha owned living quarters. You will be responsible finding yourself a job and paying for your own needs. You will be limited to only selected areas: your house, your job, and to the shopping district. Areas outside your home will only be accessed under the supervision of one of your parole officers. Weapons will be prohibited in your ownership. Along with the following rules on this contract, if any are broken, you will be immediately treated as a threat and to be returned this facility. Any questions?"

"How long?" the young Hyuga inquired. Despite the question's lack of details, the people in the room knew he was referring to how long his probationary period would last. Shikamaru answered him.

"The period of the contract will be indeterminate. It will all depend on how the circumstances change with time." Shikamaru looked Neji in the eyes. For a moment, Shikamaru was sure he detected a defiance in the pale orbs. But it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The man closed his eyes with a soft sigh, acknowledging the term. "As needed you will be subjected to check-ups to determine if any terms need to be changed. If there is no disagreement, we shall all sign at the bottom."

Naruto was first, after biting his thumb, the man marked the contracts with his bloody print. He passed them to Shikamaru who did the same. The contracts then were passed to the elders then they came to Neji.

Tenten notices him give the sheets a quick scan before adding his own thumbprint to the paper. Then the paper was offered to her next. Tenten hesitated. Looking at the papers in the man's hand, she didn't dare to look at the expecting eyes of the hand's owner. She then reached for them only giving the man previously holding it a quick glance before looking to the sheets herself.

Paper is so weak yet these papers held a lot of meaning in the words scribed in black ink. To be one of his parole officers? Tenten couldn't figure out why Shikamaru had chosen her. Wasn't she too close to the situation? Then again a lot of things were not making sense to her. Everything kept on happening. It made it hard to grasp the situation going on. The brunette girl was troubled with worry after worry and no time to think about the situation at hand.

"Tenten," Lee quietly spoke to her. Tenten hadn't noticed how lost in thought she was until his voice made her look up. The room's occupants were eyeing her with curiosity. Tenten quickly pressed her thumb into the papers in the effort to deflect the eyes from her. She passed the papers to Lee and the room looked towards him in turn.

After the last mark was pressed in the papers, Lee handed the sheets back to Naruto.

"Well, now that that is settled," Naruto said as he tucked the papers in a folder, "Shikamaru will lead you to your temporary home. Everyone is dismissed."

...

"Shikamaru?" Tenten questioned, looking towards said man.

After parting with Lee, Tenten made her way through town following Shikamaru. Only small words were spoken amongst the three. But that didn't stop the stares and whispers from the townspeople who passed. Soon the group was in front of Neji new apartment.

"Neji, this will be your new studio apartment. It already has the basics: a bed, fridge, a stove/oven combo, a small table, and a bathroom. It's small but it will serve." Shikamaru said, tossing keys to Neji, "And Tenten, it was best to keep him close to one of us. And this apartment just happened to be conveniently available. It's right under yours. what else could you wish for? Well, see guys tomorrow."

"Wait! Shikamaru!" Shikamaru returned Tenten's plea was hold up a hand over his shoulder saying goodbye as he walked away. Tenten grumbled to herself, "That guy! How could he be the Hokage's advisor and still be the laziest ass I know."

Tenten turned to look back at her companion. They were alone. When had this last happened? There must have been a time during the war but she couldn't seem to remember it.

Neji broke her out of her thoughts when he gave her a curt nod and walked to the door to unlock the front door. Tenten stared as she notices Neji slightly fumble with the keys.

"Do you think," she was startled when his lavender eyes met her's, "Do you think they got you any food? The probably didn't… I'll be back down in a second, let me get a few things."

With that, Tenten rushed up the stairs to her apartment, only taking a breath after closing the door behind her. She talked to him. It was silly but she was surprised. She actually got a chance to talk to him again. Tenten moved away from the door and began looking through her cabinets to look for something suitable.

Why had she volunteered to get him food? Was this really happening? Was Neji, the man who had been her teammate for almost half her life, just downstairs? And she had so many questions for him! Why hadn't he at least sent word when he was able to? Where was his cursed mark? What had he been doing for the past years? She felt angry. Tenten had felt betrayed. She was his teammate and yet he didn't even try to contact her or Lee. Where they nothing to him? Were they simple part of fate that was frickin' fated to pass by? How could he?

Tenten gave herself a moment to gather herself after bagging the food she was going to bring down. There was no point in becoming mad at a time like this. She would get answers out of him. Eventually…

Tenten calmly went down the stairs and stood in front of his door. Was she really still in the habit of waiting for him to open the door? Had the habit been that strong where she still expected him to sense her presence?

So Tenten raised her hand up to knock. Only to have the door open right before she could make contact. Neji stood to the side. Allowing her room to step in.

Upon entering the room, Tenten found the room to be as Shikamaru said, holding only the bare minimum.

"I, uh, didn't have much but I figured this could last you until tomorrow at least," Tenten said. She set down a wide of assortment of prepackaged noodles. "I know they're not your favorite but-"

"Thank you."

There was silence. This was the first he had spoken to her in years. His voice as she remembered it. It was soft and yet firm.

"I hope you at least have some cooking supplies." Tenten started looking through the cabinets. "Ah-ha! There's the kettle."

Understanding her actions, Neji took a seat at the table, watching her prep water on the stove."

"I figure you'd prefer the sesame flavor." She spoke more to herself than to him as she grabbed two packages.

Another silence ensued as she waited for the water to boil. As the kettle's whistle started, Tenten peeled the lids off the packages just wide enough. She then turned off the stove, grabbed the kettle and poured the water in. She was used to doing mundane stuff like this in the past. They used to let the quiet wash over them as she would prepare their meals. And when Tenten set the meals down in front of them, she knew the meal was also going to be a silent task as well.

Tenten studied Neji as he ate his noodles. She used to be able to tell by how he ate how he was feeling. But here… she couldn't figure out what he was feeling. He was neutral.

As the finished their noodles, the silence continued. How long have they been sitting there? It was probably on for a minute or two but it had felt like an hour. Then he looked up at her.

"Your hair… it's longer," Neji stated. Tenten blankly stared at him. And soon she couldn't stand it anymore.

Tenten laughed.

It was one of those full on belly laughs too. Where no one could ever in their right minds view the laughter as elegant. One of those laughs that brought small tears to your eyes, that could make you feel as if your stomach was going to explode from a lack of oxygen. Tenten just laughed.

She laughed for a full minute as Neji stared at her. Soon she was starting to get a grip on herself. Composing herself as she tried to catch up on the oxygen she had lost.

"It has been over 10 years and the first thing you mention is my hair?" Tenten was smiling, wiping a tear from her eyes, "Have you seen your hair? What have you been doing these past years, burning your hair? Your hair looks terrible! You could probably be disowned by your family by your hair's condition alone!"

And she laughed a little more as Neji stared at her. And again, she took a minute calmed down and stared back at him with a smile.

"Hold on, let me get some scissors. I'll fix it." Tenten made her way to her apartment to retrieve her scissors.

When she returned she found Neji in the same spot she had left him. Walking behind the chair, Tenten studied his hair. It was frayed from the ends up to his shoulder. Its brown color lightened at the ends with damage.

With her scissors up her sleeve, Tenten began to smooth his hair to the best of her abilities, attempting to get some tangles out. The last time she had cut his hair had been right before war broke loose. It had just touched his shoulder blades then. Now it almost reached down to his lower back.

"Your hair is really damaged," Tenten stated. "I'm going to have to cut a lot off."

Slowly, Tenten started snipping away at his ends. His hair was coarse and knotted. Nothing like Neji's usual soft hair.

"Remember when I first did this? We were still genin then. It was one on that one long mission… to the Tea village? Or was it to-"

"Tea village," Neji reassured her, keeping his eyes forwards.

"Man, your hair had gotten long! Your hair was almost as long as it was then as it is now." Tenten's hands worked with familiarity, gathering the hair together to cut right above the damage. There was no getting around it. "I only had a kunai to do it at that time, but I thought it turned out alright, for my first time anyway."

"Better than Lee or Gai…" he mumbled

"You would have been converted for sure if that happened." She giggled.

"But it didn't."

The hair piled around her feet, cluttering the floor.

"Hey, Neji…" Tenten began. "Can I ask you something?"

Neji didn't respond but Tenten took it as an approval.

"When you were gone," her hands stopped moving as she began to speak, "Did you… did you miss us?"

It was a silly question. Tenten knew that.

"Yes."

"We missed you too," Tenten said as she began finishing her work on his hair. "You heard about Hinata and Naruto right? I was happy for them when I heard they became engaged. You should've seen the wedding. Hinata was so happy. So was Naruto, of course. It was beautiful."

Tenten noticed his muscles tense at her words. He would have wanted to be there.

"I have photos if you would like to see them?"

"Please."

"They're in my apartment. Come on," this time they both made their way up to her apartment. There was no use in staying in his empty one.

It took Tenten a few seconds to sort through her disorganized bookcase to find the album buried under some dusty scrolls. It was a simple and small album. She had asked for the Uzumaki's for one so she could show it to Neji's grave… well, a headstone. She made her way back into her living room to find Neji casually seated on the couch just like he used to. It was weird how old habits stuck.

Taking her place beside him she began turning the pages through the album with him. She told the story of how Lee had accidentally pushed Gai into the remains of the cake, of how Naruto had kept on stepping on Hinata's toes during their first dance and how Hinata handled it with grace, smiling at her new husband with encouragement.

And Neji sat there silently listening as time passed them.

"And your uncle gave Naruto the deadliest glares I have ever seen a Hyuga give. And that says A Lot!" Tenten said, turning to the next photo.

"Tenten," Neji's voice stopped her. Hearing her name voiced by the man beside sent shivers down her back, ghostly shivers. But that didn't stop her from holding his gaze with her own. "Tenten, I wanted to-"

A knock interrupted them.

"Ah! Hinata?" Tenten opened the door to greet their visitors.

Hinata rushed into Neji's arms as soon as the door opened. Her sister soon followed suit after a brief nod towards the brunette closing the door.

"I'm so happy," Hinata cried into his shoulder. "We thought you were dead."

"I was," Neji said. But Hinata only hugged him tighter.

"I missed you so much." She let a few more sniffles escape.

"I'll make you two some tea," Tenten left the three as she readied the kettle again. Hanabi was first to pull away. A huge grin was plastered on her face.

"Let's sit down," Hinata said she released her cousin. They sat on down just as Tenten brought the tea to the coffee table. Hinata repeated, "Neji, we missed you so much."

"We brought you some groceries," Hanabi pointed to the bags that were dropped by the door. "We can't have our cousin starving on us. We just go you back."

It was a happy sight. Tenten watched as the two cheerfully chattered about the groceries they brought by. It looked like it was just any another day.

"Tenten, could you help me put away these groceries?" Hanabi stood up looking at the girl seated on the chair next to them.

"Oh, yeah. I'll help," As they walked to the kitchen, Hinata began pulling out photos of Boruto and Himawari.

"It's as father expected," Hanabi quietly said when they got into the kitchen.

"What?" Tenten looked at the girl putting the bags on the counters. Over the years, Hanabi had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her hair as long as Hinata's teen years and her eyes held intelligence in them that Tenten hadn't seen in many.

"His forehead. He's missing his cursed seal." Hanabi said. Tenten's brows knitted as she took a sneak peak at Hinata and Neji talking on the couch.

"What…" Tenten gathered her thoughts, meeting the younger girl's eyes. " What does that mean?"

"He probably can't use the byakugan anymore."Hanabi started taking food from the bag. "The cursed seal is supposed to seal away the byakugan after one dies. Neji died and it's gone."

Tenten did nothing but stare at Hanabi as she began putting the food in cabinets. If Neji no longer use this byakugan, then what about his life as a ninja? He has shaped his whole career around the byakugan.

"Does this mean…" Tenten asked.

"I don't know." Hanabi interrupted. "I don't know what he's going to do. This has never happened before. No Hyuga has been in this situation before. To not be able to see the world around you like the way you have since you were born? I… I can't imagine." She gave Tenten a sad look. After putting the last can into the cupboard, Hanabi headed back to the couch, leaving Tenten to process the situation.

"I still can't believe how similar Boruto and Naruto are. At times they are too similar for their own good," Hinata giggled as Tenten took a hesitant seat on the opposing couch with Hanabi.

"They're… They're beautiful." Neji said. He brought the picture closer, letting a small smile escaped. "How old are they?"

"Himawari is 5, she'll be joining the academy soon. And Boruto just turned 9 a couple of days ago." She replied. "You should keep it. The photo, you should keep it."

"Thanks"

"Hey, you'll never believe who else has kids!" Hanabi exclaimed, catching everyone's attention. "That Uchiha guy and the Haruno girl! They had a girl only a couple of months after Hinata, only, they weren't married first."

"Hanabi!" Hinata scolded, an embarrassed blush reaching her cheeks.

...

"We'll visit again. If there is anything you need just let us know." Hinata said. "And please have dinner with us this weekend. The children would… The children would love to finally meet you."

Smiling, Hinata gave her cousin's hand a final squeeze before leading Hanabi and herself out the door.

"See ya, Bro!" Hanabi shouted on her way back before Neji closed the door.

"You were quiet," Neji said, looking at Tenten.

"I… Um… I guess I'm just was a little overwhelmed." She awkwardly looked away. "I mean, it's not every day your comrade comes back from the dead. Well… at least not in the past 10 or so years."

She felt his eyes watching her has she cleaned up the tea, just as he used to. Even without the byakugan, that hadn't changed.

"So, uh, I guess I should go, unless you need anything else," Tenten said. "I'll just leave the album her. You should look at it."

Tenten made her way to the door only to stop. Neji kept his eyes on her, giving her that same look that said there is more to it.

"Tenten, I know," Neji said.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Tenten began fiddling with her sleeve.

"I saw you and Hanabi talking." He walked to sit on the couch. "My byakugan is gone."

"I-" She was lost for words. All Tenten could do was sit beside him. Looking at the table in front of them. "I don't know what to say."

"It's just how it is now."

"Are you okay?" Tenten asked.

"I'm fine."

"What are you going to do?" Tenten allowed herself to glance at him. "I mean, won't It be hard to figure what's next?"

"Well, I guess I'm going to find a job tomorrow."

"That's not what I meant," Tenten smirked. Tenten turned to him and rested her hand on his shoulder, "but you're right. One step at a time."

"It's late."

"You're right. I guess I should go." Standing up, Tenten made her way towards the door. "Oh, and, um, if you'd want, you could always come work in my store."

"Thanks. Goodnight." Neji made his way in front of her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." And Tenten left.

...

In her room above, Tenten had been lying awake in bed staring above. The whole situation was surreal. In one day, Neji was back, he was here in his own flesh and body. She felt the warmth on her very own skin. Tenten clutched her hands together on her chest. Here they were in the same habits. They were talking, his expression, even posture was the same.

At the same time, everything was different. It had been years. It was in the way he looked when he was listening. It was as if he wasn't there but somewhere else. But where had he been? She couldn't get past it. Why didn't he return when he was able? Was it because of his byakugan? Or was it something else, was it because of the brother and sister he was with? There were too many questions.

That night, Tenten struggle to find sleep.

* * *

Welp, there it is! It's not as long as the last two chapters, but it's still longer than the first. I am still working on actually structuring this story with a sequence and all. If you'd like a longer explanation about how long its taking me to update, you can find it on my page. But really this past summer was an emotional rollercoaster. I kinda failed my internship and it hurt. Plus I'm also in the phase where a lot of my friends are becoming distant with their lives getting busy so I really haven't be at my best lately. But writting is definitely something I am still working on.

Thank you for reading! Follow and Review if you liked anything! And don't be afraid to let me know about any of my mistakes or inconsistancies.

Till next time. :)


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